Arkansas Civil War

No. 52. Reports of Brigadier General William L. Cabell, C. S. Army, commanding brigade, of engagement at Poison Spring and action at Marks’ Mills.

HEADQUARTERS CABELL’S BRIGADE, April 20, 1864.

MAJOR:I have the honor to state that on the evening of the 17th, I was detached from Fagan’s division and ordered to report to General Marmaduke for special duty. On the night of the 17th, we left camp and moved to attack the enemy, who had a large commissary train under their protection. After moving out and marching a short distance the command returned to camp. Early on the morning of the 18th, I being the senior officer to Fagan’s division present, Colonel Crawford was ordered to report to me with his brigade. Immediately after he reported I moved, under the direction of General Marmaduke, to attack and to capture the Federal train, then on the Camden and Prairie D’Ane road, about 10 miles distant. After marching up that road to the vicinity of the Poison Spring my advance was fired on by the enemy’s advance guard. I dismounted all my command except Morgan’s regiment and Gunter’s and McMurtrey’s battalions, and moved up on foot and formed line of battle immediately in front of the enemy, Crawford’s brigade on the right, Hughey’s battery in the center, and Cabell’s brigade on the left; Hill’s regiment, of Cabell’s brigade, held in reserve as a support to the battery. Morgan’s regiment, of Cabell’s brigade, was sent to the rear on the Camden road about 2 miles to prevent the enemy from re-enforcing from Camden; Gunter’s battalion, of Cabell’s brigade, was ordered to protect our extreme left flank; McMurtrey’s battalion, of Crawford’s brigade, was ordered to protect our extreme right flank. After these dispositions were made I ordered out a heavy line of skirmishers from each brigade. The skirmishers moved out rapidly and kept up a brisk fire on the enemy, driving them back several times.

After my line of battle was formed General Maxey arrived with his command, and being the senior officer present assumed command, placing his division of Texas and Indians on the left. After getting his division into line he attached the enemy’s right flank. I was ordered as soon as I heard that this division was heavily engaged with the enemy to open with my artillery. This order was obeyed. My artillery opened at and kept up a continued fire on the enemy as well as the train. The practice of this battery, commanded by Captain Hughey, was magnificent. After a very severe and heavy cannonading with my battery, and after Maxey’s division had become well engaged with the enemy, I moved up my whole command by direction of General Maxey; moved across an open field for about 200 yards, the enemy being under cover of the timber in front. After reaching the timber I halted Cabell’s brigade for a few moments to form line, the enemy then being in front with a heavy line of skirmishers about 80 yards distant. I ordered my men to charge them at once, which they did in grand style (Monroe’s regiment on the right, Gordon’s in the center, and Trader’s State troops on the left), driving the enemy before them from the train under a very heavy fire. I then ordered Crawford’s brigade to move up rapidly, which was done, and to assist in pursuit of the fleeing enemy. I continued with my division, which had been re-enforced by Greene’s brigade, to pursue the enemy until he was scattered and completely routed and we had complete possession of the train and all his artillery, which was captured by my command, Gordon’s regiment, of Cabell’s brigade, capturing one rifled piece; McMurtrey’s battalion, of Crawford’s brigade, capturing two howitzers, and Crawford’s and Wright’s regiments, of the same brigade, the fourth piece.

After I had continued the pursuit as far as considered it necessary, about 2 1/2 miles, and my men being much exhausted, as the troops to withdraw. This order was repeated by General Marmaduke, who arrived on the field immediately afterward, which was done in as good order as could possibly be done, mixed up as the different commands were. Never were men known to fight better than my whole command. It was a continuous huzza from the moment the command to charge was given to the close of the fight. Both officers and men behaved with the greatest coolness and with the greatest gallantry. It would be doing wrong to particularize when every one did so nobly. I must mention, however, the gallant conduct of Colonels Monroe, Gordon, Trader, and Morgan; also Majors Harrell, Reiff, Arrington, and Portis, and Lieutenant-Colonels O’Neil, Fayth, and Bull, of Cabell’s brigade. Colonel Hill, although not engaged, did great service with his command in getting the train off the field. Colonel Crawford, commanding brigade, acted with the greatest gallantry. I refer you to his report in reference to his officers.

The enemy’s strength was about 2,500 men, from all the information I could get-1,500 negroes and about 1,000 white troops, with four pieces of artillery. The number of killed of the enemy was very great, especially among the negroes. You could track our troops by the dead bodies lying on the ground. I estimated his loss, from what I saw and heard from reliable officers, as follows: Killed-negroes, 450; Indians, 7; white troops, 30; total, 487. No estimate of wounded can be made.

Morgan’s regiment, which was stationed on the Camden road east of the battle-ground, killed at least 80 negroes and captured 35 prisoners. My whole command captured 62 prisoners-58 white troops and 4 negroes.

My staff officers-Major Duffy, inspector-general; Captain King, assistant adjutant-general; Surg. John H. Carroll; Lieutenant W. J. Tyus, acting assistant adjutant-general; Lieutenants Carlton and Inks, acting aides-de-camp, and Captain Ballos, quartermaster-deserve especial mention for their gallantry on the field.

Captain Hughey with his officers and men deserve especial mention for the skillful manner with which they handled their guns.

In conclusion, I ask to be allowed to bear testimony to the gallantry displayed not only by my own command of Arkansas troops, but to that of the Missouri, Texas, and Choctaw troops. I never did see troops display more gallantry and more kindly feelings toward each other. I would also state that I captured a stand of colors belonging to the negro regiment. I gave it to an officer to carry it to the rear, but have not been able to find either the officer or the colors since.

I regret the loss of several brave and good soldiers. My whole loss was as follows:

Killed. Wounded. Missing.

Cabell’s brigade 6 35 1

Crawford’s brigade 2 7 —

Total 8 42 1

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. L. CABELL,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Major OCHILTREE,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Maxey’s Division.

Page 790-792 LOUISIANA AND THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI. Chapter XLVI.

After the loss of his forage train at Poison Springs, union commander General Frederick Steele, was faced with an extreme shortage of food for his fourteen thousand soldiers and feed for thousands of horses and mules. Realizing that he would be unable to feed his army by foraging, Steele ordered LT. Colonel Francis Drake to take command of a two hundred eleven wagon train with an escort of fourteen hundred infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Col. Drake was to lead the train to Pine Bluff, load with supplies and return to Camden. The train left Camden before dawn on April 23, 1864. Traveling with the train were about 1500 civilians and perhaps 300 negroes. A unit of the 5th Kansas Cavalry out of Pine Bluff joined the train after it had departed Camden. This brought the fighting strength of the escort to 1800 men. About the same amount of civilians accompanied the expedition.

Two sections of Company E, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery under the command of Lieutenant Charles Peetz had been detailed to support the escort. The sections each had two James rifles.

Opposing the federal force was General James Fagan and four thousand confederates under the command of generals Cabell and Shelby. Captain Hughey’s battery of artillery provided support. The two forces collided at the junction of the Camden-Pine Bluff road and the Warren road. This area was known by the name of the family that owned and operated a saw mill and a grist mill. The Battle of Marks’ Mills is the title used by both confederates and federals. General Cabell initiated the battle from the front.

While Cabell’s men engaged the enemy from the south and east, General Shelby lead his men to the north in a wide sweep. This allowed him to attack the Yankee’s rear and flank. The artillery was engaged as soon as they could be unlimbered. The federals poured a deadly hail of grape and canister into the southern lines. Hughey’s battery set up on an elevation and pounded the opposing artillery for an hour and a half.

Finally the concentrated fire of the rebel guns drove the Yankees from their pieces. The end result was a total victory for the southern cause. The federals suffered 1500 casualties; killed, wounded or captured. Lt. Colonel Drake was seriously wounded and taken prisoner as was Lt. Peetz. Both Colonel Drake and Lt. Peetz recovered from their wounds and were exchanged. The victorious confederates had only 293 killed, wounded or missing. When the handful of men that escaped the carnage of Marks’ Mills returned to Camden, General Steele realized that to stay in Camden was equal to starvation and the loss of his army. The northern aggressors had to run or die.

This article can be downloaded from the October, 2006 edition of the newsletter located at the top of the page…great Civil War articles written by Civil War buffs in Arkansas.

The following is a little information on the Yankee artillery at the Battle of Poison Springs: On April 18, 1864, a combined southern force of Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery captured two units of federal artillery. The action took place on the Washington road twelve miles west of Camden, Arkansas in an area known as Poison Springs. A section of the Second Indiana Artillery commanded by Lieutenant Haines, consisting of two James Rifles, was in support of the First Kansas Colored Infantry. The First Kansas Colored Infantry, the Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, and the Sixth and Fourteenth Kansas Cavalry under the command of Colonel J. M. Williams were looking for food for the army. Two twelve-pound Mountain Howitzers commanded by Lieutenant Walker, supported the Sixth Kansas Cavalry.

When the battle commenced the two James rifles were moved forward. One was placed on the north and one was placed on the south of the road facing east. The two Howitzers were unlimbered facing south to protect the right flank. A very heavy artillery duel commenced at about 11:30 am. The two rifled pieces of the Second Indiana Artillery attempted to silence a six-gun rebel battery opposite them at about one thousand yards. Meanwhile, the two Howitzers exchanged shots with a four-gun battery at six to seven hundred yards Major Ward commander of the First Kansas Colored Infantry reported, "Although this was much the severest artillery fire that any of the men had ever before been subjected to, and many of the men were thus under fire for the first time, they were as cool as veterans and patiently awaited the onset of the enemy’s Infantry".

Just after twelve o’clock the confederate artillery fire slackened. Their Infantry attacked. After a heated encounter the southerners were forced to fall back. However, many of the Second Indiana gunners had been disabled. At one point one of the guns only had two men left to man it. The guns were ordered to withdraw. Just as one gun was being limbered, Private Alonso Hinshaw of the Second Indiana Artillery, single handedly double loaded the piece with canister and fired into an advancing column intent on capturing his gun. The effect of the double charge was terrible on the massed soldiers. The gun was able to withdraw and redeploy. The confederate forces continued the attack forcing the federal troops into a fighting retreat. The four union cannons could not be moved through the dense forest and swamp that was the only avenue of escape for the defeated force. The advancing confederates quickly captured these four pieces.

This battle proved very costly for General Steele’s army encamped at Camden. Three hundred and one men were killed, captured or wounded. Two rifled guns and two mountain howitzers, quartermaster’s stores, and one hundred ninety-eight teams and wagons were captured. Furthermore, the loss of the corn and food items in the wagons made the possibility of a starving army a very real worry for the Camden Expedition. Next month I will submit another installment of the story telling of the defeat of the union army in South Arkansas.

This article can be downloaded from the September, 2006 edition of the newsletter located at the top of the page…great Civil War articles written by Civil War buffs in Arkansas.